


The Merlin HighSchool AU That No One Asked For (working title)

by citrusallergy



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, American Football, Band camp, Class Differences, F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-12
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:26:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24684556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/citrusallergy/pseuds/citrusallergy
Summary: Merlin transfers to Camelot High School after the death of a close friend back in Ealdor. He gets roped into becoming equipment manager for the football team, and unearths a dirty secret regarding the wealth divide between students and decides to make things right. In the process there is more than just a little high school drama.
Relationships: Gwen/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Gwen/Lancelot (Merlin), Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), implied lancelot/merlin, implied merlin/freya
Comments: 6
Kudos: 28





	1. New Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> ik theyre technically in the uk but i dont know a thing abt british schools so.... ligghtly based on my school system

The sky above him was a perfect blue, with just the right amount of clouds, and the long grass around him blew in the light breeze. There was a faint smell of fresh bread, likely wafting in from the sturdy brown farmhouse that sat at the other end of the field where Merlin laid. He smiled to himself, content in the peaceful silence that came with summer afternoons alone in field. But the silence didn't last much longer, as his calm was interrupted by Will and Freya; easily his two favourite people in the whole world. His whole world being all of Ealdor and not much farther. He watched them run towards him, Freya with a picnic basket and Will with a boombox that was basically antique, they were both laughing loudly and smiling from ear-to-ear calling his name. Suddenly, he was surrounded by sound, and Freya's arms were around him.

"God! Merlin I've missed you. Don't you ever stay away for that long again." Freya cried, half-muffled in the shoulder of his t-shirt.

"So how was it? Meet anyone we ought to know about? Found our replacements yet?" Will chuckled, helping Merlin up with surprising ease, considering how he had yet to escape from Freya's clutches. Just as Merlin opened his mouth to respond, Will's face seemed to somber, and Freya's hold on him relinquished, "I'm sorry, Merlin. She went in her sleep, if that helps. She's not in any pain anymore." 

Will's mouth had formed a hard line that resembled more a scar than a comforting expression. It was clear how much he was holding back. Merlin didn't know what to say. It was like his brain had shut off. His arms felt limp at his sides and the book bag he hadn't noticed he'd been carrying suddenly felt like it was loaded with bricks. Slowly, he felt himself slipping it off his shoulders and dropping it to the floor, but the whole world felt like melting ice cream. Everything was blurred and sticky and he couldn't figure out where he was anymore. Suddenly again, another pair of arms were around him. They were firmer, the hold was stronger and underneath the sticky mess of thoughts he heard a voice ring out to him.

"Oh honey. Baby I'm so sorry. Just let it out sweetheart. It's okay baby."

And all of a sudden he wasn't in a field but in his own kitchen. His mother, Hunith, had her arms around him, Will stood behind her, and Will's parents were sat around the kitchen table. Freya was no where in sight. Then he started to feel it. His face flushed and his eyes welled up until he couldn't hold back his tears anymore. He felt angry, frustrated, betrayed, empty, everything all at once until he only felt guilty. He should've been there to say goodbye. He should have been there to hold her hand. He should have been there the whole summer, spending time with her and Will like they had done every summer before.

"MERLIN! I've been calling you for five minutes! I'm sure you're tired but you've already missed enough school as it is, you wouldn't want to be late on your first day."

Merlin woke up immediately and sighed. This had been happening a lot the past few weeks. He would dream vividly of his friends, only to get transported suddenly back to the worst day of his life, and get abruptly awoken every morning by a voice from the hallway calling him to breakfast.The voice from the hallway belonged to Gaius, an old friend of his mother's and the bed he was in was not his own. He was no longer living in Ealdor with his mother, and, as of today, no longer a student at the tiny old K-12 school he had attended his whole life. Instead, it was his first day at Camelot High School. He had made it to the big city, but he all he wanted was to be home.

~~~~

He had been excited for that summer, he really had, because his mother had scrimped and saved all year for him to go to an elite music camp for most of the break from school. Merlin had been playing the flute since he was in the second grade, and had moved on to learn the piccolo as well. The music program at Merlin's old school had long been cut, but he had such a passion for it that he would practice as much as he possibly could, even travelling out of town to music festivals and competitions. It wasn't until the ninth grade that he had seriously considered pursuing music professionally, so Hunith did what she could to help him grow his skill even further by sending him to that prestigious summer camp. She hoped that he would socialize more while he was there, make some more friends, maybe even get a girlfriend; anything to help soften the blow of Freya's eventual passing.

As Merlin ate breakfast, he thought back to the Camp. He'd been in a cabin with quite a few boys his age who were a lot like him, but he never really clicked with any of them. He did however, find friendship with two people. There was Gwen, she was a year younger than him, and they had been stand partners. Her situation was a lot like Merlin's; being raised by a single parent in a low-income household. There was also Lancelot, one of the percussionists. Merlin had been confused about his sexuality before, but Lancelot was easily one of the most attractive guys he'd ever seen.He had a similar situation to Merlin and Gwen, which is probably the reason they stuck together the whole summer, the only differences between them being Lancelot was a football fanatic and trained whenever he wasn't practicing; his heart set on finally making the team that year. Gwen and Lancelot would actually both be attending Camelot High in the fall, and promised to keep in contact with Merlin, but since he'd gotten home from camp he'd barely even spoken to his mother or Will, much less hopped online to chat. For the first week or so his cell phone almost never stopped pinging with notifications, but eventually, they stopped trying. He didn't know which made him feel worse.

~~~~

Eventually, it came time to leave for school. His first day was a couple weeks into the semester already, which would certainly be a nightmare, especially because he had little to no practice in making friends. Even though he knew he would probably see Gwen and Lancelot around, Merlin was sure they wouldn't want him around. Gwen was sensitive and shy, and her feelings were likely sore from a promise to stay in touch followed by radio silence. She was a sweet girl and probably blamed herself. The football team had already had their tryouts and Lancelot was for sure a new member. He would've probably be too busy with parties and girls and cool upperclassmen to pay any attention to Merlin anyways. Besides, its not like band kids were exactly cool to be seen with. Gaius didn't have a car and didn't need one anyways, considering he was a general family doctor who's apartment was above the office/pharmacy he worked in; so getting a drive to school was a no-go. He would have to walk. The school wasn't terribly far, and Merlin was pretty sure he knew the way, so off he went. Earbuds in, backpack on, eyes straight ahead. He wasn't ready for someone to come running up behind him, calling his name.

"Merlin! I haven't seen you in forever!? I missed you! What are you doing in Camelot?" All of a sudden, Merlin was spun around to see a handsome face in front of his, and even though he was pretty much over his crush from that summer, his proximity, the genuine joy on his face, and the hand on his arm was all getting to be a bit too much for poor Merlin. He struggled to explain himself

"Oh! Hi uhhh I kinda uh... transferred to CHS. I'm really sorry I haven't called or texted you or Gwen it's just that uh something happened back home and I-" Merlin was cut off by Lancelot pulling him into a tight hug.

"You don't need to explain it right now, okay? I know a little bit of what happened but I had no idea you would be moving schools. What matters right now is getting to school and how great it is to see you again, man. I just know Gwen is gonna lose her mind when she sees you." Lancelot grinned. 

Merlin was probably redder than a beet at this point and said nothing. When Lancelot pulled away all he was offered was an apologetic smile; too afraid that he might cry with sheer happiness.


	2. The Hardest Part

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merlin transfers to Camelot High School after the death of a close friend back in Ealdor. He gets roped into becoming equipment manager for the football team, and unearths a dirty secret regarding how students of a lower class are being treated and decides to make things right. In the process there is more than just a little high school drama.

As Merlin and Lancelot walked onto the campus, they were greeted with a cacophony of voices and noises from the students milling about outside.

"Most of the student body spends their time before classes start outside in the courtyard, even when the weather's shit. Unless you're in a club or have work to do, there isn't a lot to do inside before the bell rings, plus-" Suddenly, Lancelot's explanation was cut short by a small, curly-haired rocket crashing into Merlin's stomach, nearly knocking him over.

"Oh! Good morning to you too, Gwen." he laughed.

"Merlin! How come you didn't tell me you were coming to our school! I found out less than 10 minutes ago in a text! I didn't even have time to tell any of our friends or prepare anything! Now you'll have to meet them over lunch from the cafeteria!" Gwen had stepped back, holding Merlin by the shoulders, almost like she was examining him. After a moment or two, her arms dropped and she turned to her boyfriend to greet him with a kiss on the cheek. 

"Did Elyan catch the bus with you? Or should I tell Mrs Gold that he'll be late to first period again?" Lancelot chided.

"No he was up early today," she laughed, "he must've smelled breakfast."

Merlin knew a little about Elyan, Gwen's older brother, but he hesitated in laughing along. Gwen's mother had died when he was very young, and her father worked long hours, leaving Gwen to basically take on the role of matriarch in their household; cooking meals, cleaning, making sure bills were paid on time, etc. She never seemed to mind it much, but Merlin did worry about her. All that responsibility and work so young must be stressful, but Gwen somehow managed to juggle it along with school, homework, and her music.

"So Merlin, do you think you'll be joining the concert band? Auditions finished a few weeks ago but I'm sure I can talk Mr Connors into letting you try out."

Gwen asked him, interrupting his train of thought.

"Oh wow could you? I haven't practiced in awhile because of everything, but I would love a reason to play again and I'm sure I can catch up." He replied.

"Of course you'll be able to catch up! The stuff we play here is so easy you'll get in without a doubt. Of course, there are the club fees but they really aren't too bad, after all, I managed to pay them-" Gwen was cut off by the bell ringing abruptly, signifying the beginning of the school day, and the three of them hurried to join the throng of students heading inside.

"Okay Merlin, head straight down the hall and then up the stairs at the end to get to the main office. You can pick up your student ID and schedule for this semester there. I would walk you there but Mrs Gold is a real stickler for punctuality. Just ask Elyan!" Lancelot instructed as they stepped through the doors.

"We'll meet you outside your class at the beginning of lunch, and we can give you the tour.Just text me!" Gwen called after him, "Oh and good luck!"

~~~~

Lunchtime rolled around surprisingly fast, and Gwen and Lancelot held up their promise to tour him around the school, showing him the different sections of the school like the sciences hallway and the gym, auditorium, and all the closest (and cleanest) bathrooms, as well as giving him general knowledge of the school and notable faculty and students as they would pass by. Merlin learned that the Principal, Mr Pendragon, had a son that attended the school, but a daughter that went the preppy Camelot Academy on the edge of the town (lord only knows why, though). He also learned that the school was decently diverse. It was the only public high school in the whole city, so there was an immense student body coming from all over the city. He was also surprised to find out that a large portion of the students were very upperclass. Most of them were the more... athletic type of student, so Merlin assumed that while they could've afforded to attend the private school, they likely weren't able to pass the entrance exam. In fact, most of the sports teams were made up of majority these types of kids.

"Now that you know your way around a bit, I think it's high time you meet a few people." Gwen smiled cheekily as she and Lancelot began to lead Merlin down one of the many hallways to a stairwell in the back of the school. They went up to the top floor and were met with 3 boys laughing and eating their lunches on the floor. The doors leading to the rest of the hallway were closed, and since the stairs they'd gone up were so out-of-the-way, they were in a decently spacious, completely isolated little hang-out spot.

A stocky boy, who Merlin was correct in identifying as Elyan, was the first to stand to introduce himself, "You must be Merlin! I'm Gwen's brother, Elyan, but you probably know about me already. I'm hoping that since Gwen tells us about you so much that she also talks about me to you. I'm a grade above you, so I don't think we'll have any classes together but if you're planning on joining the school orchestra then we'll see each other again; I'm a trumpet. Other than that you're always welcome to eat your lunch up here with the rest of the gang!" he said, shaking Merlin's hand energetically.

Elyan seemed to be a lot like Gwen; of course, they had their family resemblance, but he also spoke maturely and had a very responsible, serious air about him despite being just as enthusiastic and excitable as his sister.

"And here are the others: that one there, the one half asleep on his sandwich is Gwaine. He's a little hungover from whatever the hell he was doing last night so I wouldn't suggest waking him up, but he's a great guy usually. Plus he can pretty much get you anything. Fake ID, into an exclusive party, a crib sheet for your finals, anything."

Before Elyan could introduce the second boy, he started speaking, "I'm Percival. You can also call me Percy. I don't mind either." The boy stood to shake Merlin's hand, and was he ever tall. He was easily over six feet and looked like he could knock Merlin over with a single breath. Merlin had always thought himself to be tall, if not simply lanky, but he was looked dwarfed standing next to Percival. Despite his imposing physique, Merlin didn't feel at all threatened by Percy, who seemed more a gentle giant type, but he didn't doubt that he could pack one hell of a punch if he needed to.

After chatting a bit more, they all settled down to finish their lunches before class started up again, and Merlin found himself enjoying the company of these potential new friends and having more fun than he had had in quite some time.

~~~~

Merlin's final class of the day was math. Unfortunately, there was a test. His teacher, Mr Winston, a slightly crabby older man gave him the option to take it or to sit quietly and do work for other classes. Of course, Merlin chose to opt out of taking the test. Mr Winston sat him in one of the few empty seats. Near the front next to a boy with blond hair wearing a letterman jacket. Needless to say, Merlin was nervous. He was cute and looked strong. The thing is, Merlin was quiet and awkward and didn't always read as a macho straight guy, which had gotten him in trouble with some older kids back home; and the boy next to him looked like the kind of person to have a problem with that. 

As he slid into his seat next to the window, he stole a glance at his desk mate, who was engrossed in a conversation with a curly-haired boy across the aisle. Merlin couldn't seem to get over his hair. It was a very attractive shade of blond, just like the stereotypical surfer dudes from old Hollywood beach movies he'd rented from the library as a kid. When Mr Winston started handing out the tests, Blond Boy turned in his seat, accidentally catching Merlin staring. A cheeky, lopsided smile draped itself across his face as he leaned towards him, "So... you must be the new kid, then. Just my luck that you're sat right beside me-"

"Reminder that the testing period is a silent one Mr Pendragon!" 

The gruff voice of their teacher rang out from the front of the class, and some students giggled quietly 

"I'm Arthur, by the way." the boy whispered to him, almost inaudible.

"Arthur! One more interruption and I'll send you both to the office!"

There were some more muffled snickers, but not many, and the threat of a visit to the principal seemed enough to make Arthur straighten in his seat and finally put pencil to paper, but not before flashing another cocky grin at Merlin, who's face was beet red for the second time that day. 

Merlin tried to get a start on an assignment for his social studies class, but he couldn't seem to focus on it. He eventually gave up trying to keep his mind from wandering and put it away, choosing to stare out the window instead. No more than five minutes later, Arthur stood up and brought his paper up to the disapproving Mr Winston. Merlin looked up and saw Arthur talking quietly to the man, and all of a sudden Arthur gestured for him to join them, "Since you're not working and I'm already done, Winnie and I," Mr Winston looked just about ready to combust, "decided that I ought to show you around the campus. What with it being your first day and all." Arthur smiled at him and took two hall passes from the hook next to the door, "Come on, we have until the bell rings!" he said, placing the second pass over Merlin's head.

~~~~  
Initially, Merlin had planned to tell Arthur he'd already been given a pretty comprehensive tour, but Arthur's idea of a tour turned out to be just marching him through the school, peaking into classroom windows and making faces at his friends. It became clear that Merlin was no more than an accessory. An excuse to get out of class. He didn't really mind all that much, either, since Arthur was pretty funny once you got past the worry of getting hate-crimed.

"Y'know I'm always saying that Winston's just like a bat. Totally blind but could hear a fly pass gas."

Merlin would sometimes laugh at these quips but said little else. The only thing on his mind the whole tour was how fast Arthur had finished that test. Finally, he felt brave enough to mention it.

"You must be the top student in that class considering how fast you were done with that quiz..." he said.

"God no I'm shit at maths. I always do that though, and as long as I turn in most of my assignments and pass the final exam I usually pass. Must be one of the perks of being the principal's son. No one wants to sit down and tell the head of the school that they're failing his kid. Well, no one until Winston that is." Arthur mumbled out, the skip in his step suddenly slowed, "I'm actually so shit at math that I gave up trying last year. I was expecting to pass but Winston is one stubborn S.O.B and is making me retake his class this semester. I'm actually a junior. Thank god I didn't have to take all of tenth grade over again that would've been a nightmare." he grunted, checking the time on his phone, "Oh shit! The bell's gonna ring any second now. Here, give me your pass and I'll bring them back to Winston's room. I'm sure he probably wants to have a little chat with me anyways."

"Won't you be late getting home?" Merlin asked.

"No I've got football practice after school and they never care what time I come around as long as I show up at some point. I'm basically the official unofficial captain. Besides, this happens all the time and I'm sure you've got a bus to catch or homework or something. I'll see you around Merlin."

Almost as if on cue, the bell rang, and students poured out of the classrooms. Merlin hurried to his locker with the strangest feeling in his chest. It was uncomfortable but slightly familiar, and he just couldn't place it. Maybe he was coming down with the flu; or maybe he was just stressed out. Either way, he gathered his bag and things from the locker he now shared with Lancelot and headed out the front doors of the school. He had done it. The hardest part was finally over. Now all he had to do was get home; slightly harder after school, since he'd be walking alone while Lancelot was at practice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahahahah oopsie woopsie its 4 am and its been like 3 weeks. hopefully i can remember to update again after this but no promises ;)) hope u enjoyed!


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